NME ARTISTS

Talking Heads

Biography

Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne (lead vocals and guitar), Chris Frantz (drums and backing vocals), Tina Weymouth (bass and backing vocals) and Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar, and backing vocals). Other musicians also regularly made appearances in concert and on the group's albums. The new wave style of Talking Heads combined elements of punk rock, art rock, funk, avant-garde, pop music, world music, and Americana. Frontman and songwriter David Byrne contributed neurotic, whimsical lyrics to the band's songs, and emphasized their showmanship through various multimedia projects and performances.

Critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine described Talking Heads as being "one of the most critically acclaimed bands of the '80s, while managing to earn several pop hits." In 2002, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Four of the band's albums appeared on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and three of their songs ("Psycho Killer", "Life During Wartime", and "Once in a Lifetime") were included among The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Talking Heads were also included among both Rolling Stones and VH1's lists of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".